Dream Drive to mark Highway 1 reopening

The famed Highway 1 is back in use after a landslide, and August 9 will see a parade of 84 classic cars celebrate its history – but some cars are still needed

California’s Highway 1, or State Route 1 as it is more formally known, famously runs along the west coast of America, taking in beautiful scenic views of the ocean and mountainous coastline.

A landslide in the famous Big Sur area, close to the location of Monterey Car Week, in May 2017 closed the highway to locals and tourists alike. The debris has now been cleared and one of the most beautiful roads in the world has reopened. Visit California are organising a 'Dream Drive' of classic cars to celebrate this.

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The aim is to get 84 cars, signifying the 84 years of Highway 1’s existence, to drive from Laguna Seca to Morro Bay where a car show will be held. Sounds easy, right? However, each car must correspond with a year starting from 1934 to the present-day. It should be quite a sight, but Visit California still need to source cars from 1936, 1938, 1939, and 1942 to 1946. Some of our suggestions would include a regal Rolls-Royce 20/36 from 1936, a 1938 Cadillac Sixty Special and one of the few existing 1946 Volkswagen Beetles.

If you own a car from any of these years, and would be interested in participating in the Dream Drive, you can submit your contact information along with year, make, model, and a photo if possible to DreamDrive@Laguna-Seca.com.

A new section of road had to be built as part of the work required to restore the route. The vast quantity of earth that shifted into the sea at Big Sur meant that it was actually easier to build on top of the newly formed land. Reportedly costing $54 million, the new road surface was completed months ahead of schedule and can now be enjoyed once again.

'We're extremely thrilled to once again invite travellers to seamlessly drive along the 350 miles of the Central Coast's gorgeous shoreline,' said Michelle Carlen, president of the Central Coast Tourism Council.

If you can’t make it to the 'Dream Drive' you can also catch a glimpse of the cars doing a parade lap of the Laguna Seca track before they set off on August 9.